As soon as the words fell, an arrow shot out and headed straight for Zhao Shu's face. One arrow was not enough. With a few whooshing sounds, six arrows pierced the sky in succession, unstoppable. Su Xiu and Xiao Guozi and others blocked her in front of her, while Liang Xi and You Ma and two others supported her, and they retreated to the shore like a gust of wind.
However, the arrow was too fast, and in an instant it was within reach.
Just when the man in purple thought that Zhao Shu was protected by guards and would definitely be blown to bits, countless green leaves flew from behind Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu looked ahead as the pier receded, and the boats on both sides of the pier also moved backward. She smiled and turned around to see Wei Tingsi, dressed in black with long hair. His robes fluttered like flags in the sea breeze. He stood on the high lighthouse. When he saw Zhao Shu looking at him, he leaped down and landed lightly behind her. He put his arm around her waist and met the incoming arrow.
A green leaf met an arrow with explosives strapped to it in mid-air, but instead of exploding, the explosives detached from the arrow and fell into the water.
The arrow was cut into several pieces by the green leaves in mid-air and fell onto the pier. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The arrow broke, but there were still many green leaves, heading straight for the man in purple.
Zhao Shu was led by Wei Tingsi straight to the man in purple. The man in purple looked at Wei Tingsi in surprise. She had not received any news at all. How could this man be here?
Before she could figure it out, a flurry of green leaves rushed toward her face. She stomped her foot, and the bamboo raft surged forward, while she used the momentum to push herself backward through the water.
“She’s trying to escape,” Zhao Shu said.
Upon hearing this, Wei Tingsi spread his left hand, and several poisoned darts flew out. The speed of the poisoned darts was even faster than the green leaves, and they soon grazed the face of the man in purple.
The woman in purple dodged the poisoned dart with a somersault, but this dodge delayed her. Green leaves came flying in, dense and numerous. If she hadn't dodged them, she would have been impaled. She flicked her wide sleeves, shaking off most of the green leaves, but the sleeves were torn, revealing her fair arms.
She retreated in a sorry state. No matter how dashing or seemingly invincible she had appeared just moments before, she was no match for Wei Tingsi.
No matter how graceful and boneless her movements were as she dodged, the mask on her face was wiped off by two green leaves.
Her mask was wiped off, so she stopped hiding and used her remaining sleeve to cover her face completely before falling straight into the water, where she was submerged among the dense hydrangeas.
"I didn't see it clearly." Zhao Shu's eyes turned red with anger.
Wei Tingsi led her to stand on the deck of a nearby cargo ship, watching the hydrangeas in the water sway with the waves, the blood staining the sea red. Wei Tingsi waved his hand and threw out several poisoned darts. The darts sank into the water, and soon blood floated up from the water. Then, a man dressed in black emerged from the water, his body riddled with darts and no longer breathing. The man in purple had disappeared without a trace.
“She’s just a spy, not the main character. My master and I have investigated for many years and only found out some minor details. You don’t need to worry about it.” Wei Tingsi gently smoothed her wind-blown hair and said softly.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shu looked up at him, only to meet his half-smiling, doting, and tender eyes. She couldn't bear it and lowered her head, but a sweet smile involuntarily appeared on her lips. "What did you find out?"
"There have been several unrelated murders in the palace. The only connection is the hydrangea. Every time the hydrangea appears, the emperor loses control. A few years ago, just because a concubine miscarried, the emperor almost deposed the empress. It was only because the empress dowager came that the emperor barely managed to calm down. And last time, another concubine died from the hydrangea. If it weren't for my master's interference and the empress finding the relics of Empress Yide, she would have escaped this calamity. Otherwise, who knows who would have been unlucky."
Zhao Shu knew about Consort Wu's miscarriage last time, but she didn't pay much attention at the time. After hearing this, she suddenly remembered that she had said she was going to find Qin Ji but hadn't gone, so she said, "Could the person behind this be in the palace?"
"No, the people in the palace are mostly spies, not the main culprits. My master investigated for many years but still couldn't figure out her purpose. It doesn't seem like she's vying for the throne, nor does she seem to be one of the princes' people." He frowned, feeling glad that he had come along. Originally, the plan was to travel by land, but Zhao Shu wanted to travel by water, so he followed her.
He couldn't imagine what he would do if Zhao Shu were to get into trouble if he hadn't come along.
"A prominent family?" Zhao Shu asked.
Wei Tingsi shook his head again. "My master has investigated all the aristocratic families involved in politics, but none of them are involved. As for those who do not participate in politics, they all have a carefree attitude. Even if my master were a god descended to earth, it would be impossible for him to investigate every aristocratic family in the world."
"Hydrangea flowers are related to Empress Yide. Investigate her." Zhao Shu suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, and a terrible thought flashed through her mind.
What if Empress Yide wasn't dead? Or perhaps her people are seeking revenge for her...?
"Everything about Empress Yide has been destroyed by the Emperor."
"They want to kill me and my father!" She clenched her fists tightly, trying to calm the turmoil in her heart and regain her composure.
Wei Tingsi turned around and shielded her from the sea breeze. "It's alright. The Empress Dowager's people will be with your father. They can't kill him."
She understood the reasoning. Back then, the Empress risked offending the Empress Dowager to get Prince Yong to find the Crown Prince, all for the sake of the Empress Dowager's people. Even if Wei Tingsi didn't come today, she wouldn't die. Besides Su Xiu and others, she also had Han Ying in the shadows.
"I hope so." Across thousands of mountains and rivers, Zhao Shu wished she could sprout wings and fly there to see if her father was alright.
"You'll be safe. When your father goes on a long trip, the Empress Dowager always sends her most elite people to accompany him. Nothing will happen." He reached out and gently smoothed Zhao Shu's furrowed brows, reassuring her repeatedly, "Believe me, it's been like this for so many years. Things have been a bit unsettled lately, so the Empress Dowager has increased the number of people she has sent, including those around you, really."
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